Polaris DAGOR A3
Polaris DAGOR is a fast attack buggy of pre-war design. Found in the armories of a number of states and PMCs despite its venerable age, DAGOR sees its most extensive use with the forces of the Baltic Union, being well-suited for their high-mobility light infantry forces. History The original DAGOR (shorthand for Deployable Advanced Ground Off-Road) was conceived as a highly-mobile off-road transport for United States special forces. The contract to produce such a vehicle was awarded to Polaris Industries with their DAGOR attack buggy. Built modular, the DAGOR was highly customizable and easily maintained simply by swapping different modules. After initial field tests proved an overwhelming success, the vehicle was officially adopted by the special forces of all service branches in the US military. Numerous allied nations expressed interest in procuring the vehicle as well, and by 2030, DAGOR had found its way into the armed forces of 26 nations, finding use not just with special forces, but also with more regular recon units. By the time of the Great War, DAGOR had undergone its third modernization that upgraded its engine and cargo capacity. A considerable number of DAGORs survived the Great War, and became prized vehicles to whoever happened to find himself in possession of one. Unlike heavy armor, DAGOR and its likes required no special skills or qualifications to operate, anyone capable of driving a car being able to drive a DAGOR, and perhaps more importantly, the nimble buggies consumed fairly little fuel and could travel across off-road terrain quickly. With the original manufacturer defunct, surviving DAGORs were initially maintained by cannibalizing damaged ones for spare parts. However, being relatively simple to fix and maintain, the machines were kept operational by jury-rigging various parts and add-ons no longer in industrial production. As industries gradually recovered, various copies of the original DAGOR A3 came to be widely made, producers ranging from factories capable of replicating the original quality to ramshackle workshops using scavenged and homemade parts. Baltic Union would become one of the most prolific contemporary users of DAGOR buggies, since their military doctrines sat well with the swift and stealthy performance of DAGOR. Overview The DAGOR is designed to be air-mobile, small and light enough to fit inside a helicopter or VTOL, or in the very least be carried externally from a sling. This along with its powerful yet quiet engine makes it an excellent special operations vehicle. DAGOR can carry a full infantry squad and a driver aboard. There are pintle mounts on the vehicle's sides to allow passengers to mount and fire heavy weapons like machine guns, providing the vehicle a 360-degree protection. A further heavy weapons mount is found in the ring turret on top of the roll cage. There are 48 different configurations in which the vehicle can be fitted, including for command, medevac, short-range AA, anti-tank and even a light MLRS configuration, the latter three variants especially packing a formidable punch for its weight class. Its high speed and ability to cross most terrain with ease means DAGOR can outrun just about everything it cannot outgun. Normally intended for use by special operators, DAGORs in Baltic usage have become commonplace with the regular military, native arms manufacturers producing near-identical copies of the original A3. Units with these highly-mobile vehicles would become a blight upon the occupying Mecharussian forces in 2132, striking at them and disappearing before any effective response could be mounted, only to reappear from the least expected of directions. They have since proven especially popular with the heavily-armed resistence "hunter-killer" teams carrying ATGMs, MANPADS and machine guns for maximum firepower. The natively-developed customization with an MLRS module is another favourite of the resistence. Mounting a pair of modified VTOL rocket pods in place of the ring turret, a DAGOR so armed can quickly and stealthily approach an enemy compound or troop concentration, unleash a devastating barrage and be gone by the time the first rockets hit the target, either travelling to the staging area for a reload, or only expending one pod and changing position for another launch. The latter tactic often gives the enemy an impression of larger numbers of attackers. Baltic resistence fighters would become infamous for their skillful use of DAGORs and other high-mobility vehicles, able to harass the Russian invaders almost constantly for as long as their ammunition stocks would allow, with minimal risks to themselves.